September. It has always been a big month for us.
It's a time of transformation... it is the turn of the season beginning.
It holds a large number of family birthdays. Nora, our first daughter, was born in September.
This year Nora has started school the first week of September.
And it is notoriously when we end up moving. It's happened more often then not that we are packing our home in September.
And once again we are preparing to begin the process of moving again.
But this time.. this time.. o you guys... this time the move is the biggest move yet.
No we are not moving to Africa or Fiji.
We are moving to our very first home!!!!!!!
For the very first time I will unpack all our boxes and then get rid of them ALL. I will put things away without wondering how long before I pack again. This time, we will be filling OUR home with our stuff. We will pick paint or fixtures or furniture because we want it in our own house for the foreseeable future.
God has truly blessed us. He has taken this picturesque dream we have clung too and instead led us down a different path that we had not thought to walk. And I truly believe that my plans/dream had to be surrendered so that God could lead me to what HE has for us.
While this house will not be our forever home, it will be our home for awhile. And it will be OURS.
Maybe I'm putting too much stock in a building. But after almost 10 years of marriage, 8 moves, living in 4 states and birthing 3 children, this home is so much more than just a house.
This home means roots. It means a commitment to staying put. To build community, a future and to contribute to a town, a church, a group of people and to build. To grow deep and to see the fruit of all our efforts. This house means we can make it our own. We can BE in this house, we can make memories. Every dent or scratch my kids make, every paint stroke I put on the walls, each project we complete (with my dad especially) will be special because we did it.
We are not leaving this town. For now Post Falls, ID is our hometown. We hope and pray that God will keep us here in Northern Idaho. We want this to be where we live our lives, where our kids grow up and the backdrop for their childhood memories.
My parents have purchased a home here too. It was monumental for me.
It means the dream of my heart that I could live by them came true. That my kids will get the privilege of knowing their grandparents really well. I love that they are so familiar with them.
I love that I can have friendship with my mom that we never really experienced while I was a difficult teenager and young adult. And as my youngest continues to grow and become not as reliant on me for everything, I will get back to fishing and spending quality time with my dad 1 on 1. I will get to hug and kiss my parents almost daily when they are here.
Maybe you can't relate to my desire to be so close to my parents or to own a home. But my heart is singing. And now I have LITERALLY 2 WEEKS to pack and clean and prepare my family for this move.
Pray for me will ya? And if you want to come help or keep me company/sane, let me know :D
